Scrap 830 rules, agencies advise

The Arkansas Capitol is shown in this 2015 file photo. (Photo by Danny Johnston / The Associated Press) State agencies want to repeal 830 of their rules, about a quarter of those in existence. The agencies started with 3,380 rules that are under review by virtue of a 2017 state law that triggered the accounting. These agencies want to keep 2,550 of their rules, said Marty Garrity, director of the Bureau of Legislative Research. Bureau staff members — who work for the Legislature — have compiled the agency reports of their rules. Legislative leaders hope their committees will finish reviewing the agencies’ proposals by the end of this week. The committees met for two days this past week. Committee recommendations next go to the Legislative Council’s Rules and Regulations Subcommittee, and the final step of approving repeal is by the Legislative Council. The deadline to repeal is Dec. 31. The law that triggered state agencies to review their existing rules is Act 781 of 2017, sponsored by Rep. Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville. It establishes sunset dates for state agencies’ rules and a process for the rules to exist beyond their sunset date. Dotson said Act 781 is based on a Texas law as well as an unsuccessful 2015 bill — sponsored by then-Rep. Nate Bell, an independent from Mena — that cleared the state House of Representatives. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s office also had input. “This regulatory review has been a priority of my administration,” the governor said in a statement… [Read full story]